FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas basketball coach Mike Anderson knows the best way for a young team to improve is by logging time on the court.

So there’s good news this week: his team is getting plenty of chances with fall semester classes over.

Arkansas (6-3), three days removed from its ugly win against Southeastern Louisiana, will be back in action against Eastern Kentucky (7-5) in Bud Walton Arena at 7 tonight. It’s part of a busy stretch in which the Razorbacks have three games in six days. But it’s also the time of year when basketball is their only responsibility with school out for winter break.

“It gives us an opportunity to really just kind of hone in on the basketball aspect of it,” Anderson said. “They can put some time in if they’re struggling on their shots. They can actually get in the gym and get with some of the coaches or managers and really, really work on getting that rhythm. Getting that rhythm at the free throw line especially.”

“If they need to come in and visit about some of the things that take place in the game so they can hopefully not continue to make the same mistakes over and over again, this is a good time for that to take place.

“It’s just basketball right now.”

The trimmed-down to-do list could be important for the Razorbacks, who have struggled recently.

The latest woes came in Saturday’s 62-55 win against Southeastern Louisiana. The Razorbacks — playing for the first game since taking a week off for finals — equaled their season-low for points and failed to crack the 65-point mark for the third straight game.

Anderson called it a “raggedy ride” afterward and forward Marvell Waithe described it was an “ugly” performance. But Waithe also said Arkansas has a better chance to get in rhythm this week, with games scheduled for tonight and Thursday (Louisiana Tech).

“The last two games we played were like a week apart,” Waithe said. “I think this will be better for a lot of people to get a better feel, more reps.”

There is a drawback to this week’s schedule: Arkansas won’t have much time to prepare for its opponents.

Anderson believes the gametime experience is more important at this point for the Hogs, who have played fewer games than any other Southeastern Conference team except for Auburn (six). He said consistency remains a problem for his group as it continues to grasp what Anderson expects from them.

“They have some of those ‘Ah ha?’ moments,” Anderson said. “But then they have some of those moments where it’s ‘Oh no! What are they doing?’”

Eastern Kentucky should pose a test similar to Southeastern Louisiana, which successfully slowed the pace to limit the Hogs’ ability to run.

The Lions never trailed by more than 10 points in last Saturday’s loss, hanging around with an Arkansas team that shot 46.9 percent from the field and 47.8 percent from the free-throw line. The Colonels play a four-guard lineup and will rely on starters, giving Arkansas confidence it can wear Eastern Kentucky down with pressure on both ends of the court.

“I just think that we play nine, 10 guys maybe and hopefully that can be an advantage for us,” Anderson said. “I trust our bench. Especially when they come in with energy. ... Hopefully we can get this game going up and down the floor until the last 10 minutes and we can continue to impose our will on opponents.”

It will also give Arkansas more time on the court together, something Anderson believes is important with SEC play beginning in three weeks.

“We are playing games. That’s the way you get experience,” Anderson said. “You can practice and practice and practice but there is nothing like game experience, especially for a young basketball team.”